CAR's religious make-up

HRW emergency director Peter Bouckaert said this could affect the economy, as Muslims control the livestock market and other businesses.

The CAR, one of Africa's poorest nations, has been in chaos for more than a year since Muslim Seleka rebels seized power.

Coup leader Michel Djotodia, who became the CAR's first Muslim leader, resigned as interim president last month as part of a regional peace process.

However, violence, largely perpetrated by either Christian anti-Balaka militias or Seleka members, has continued despite interventions by thousands of peacekeepers from the African Union and the former colonial power, France.

Image copyrightAFPImage caption
French peacekeepers continue to patrol Bangui as families mourn new victims of the inter-religious violence

Image copyrightAFPImage caption
Houses in Bangui's 5th district have been burnt down in the fighting

Image copyrightAFPImage caption
A mosque stood ruined in Bangui's 5th district on Sunday

Image copyrightAFPImage caption
Local police have started patrolling Bangui with the French military in a bid to restore order

War crimes inquiry

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda says she has opened a preliminary investigation into possible war crimes in the CAR.

Mrs Bensouda said she had received reports of "extreme brutality by various groups".

The charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says all communities are affected by the violence, but lately there have been collective reprisals against Muslims.

According to MSF, about 30,000 refugees are already in Chad and another 10,000 have reached Cameroon.